5 simple tips to start a meditation practice

If you're a beginner to meditation or find it hard to maintain a regular meditation practice, here are our 5 top tips.

Learning to meditate is one of the most important things you can do for yourself. Short, regular meditation has been proven to reduce stress, alleviate anxiety and depression, improve sleep, boost the immune system, increase the ability to focus, lower blood pressure and even ‘rewire’ parts of the brain. Science aside, above all, meditation simply makes you feel better and, in essence, that’s what will hopefully keep you returning to your practice day after day.

Here are our top 5 golden tips to help you start - and importantly, maintain - your meditation practice.

1. Be comfortable

Google ‘meditation’ and your screen will be flooded with serene-looking, bendy people effortlessly sitting cross-legged on the floor. But you don’t need to be flexible or bend yourself into a pretzel to meditate. What’s important is that you’re able to sit comfortably, preferably with your torso upright. This is so your diaphragm remains open and unrestricted and so your breath can flow freely.

It’s preferable to meditate in a seated position rather than lying down as the latter may encourage sleep...and whilst sleep is also good for you, it isn’t meditation! If you want to sit on the floor, you can sit on a meditation cushion or bench or lean against the wall. Otherwise, sit in a chair. Check out this tutorial on how to set up a comfortable seated meditation practice.

2. Don’t worry about whether you’re doing it ‘right’

A common misconception about meditation is that it's about stopping or controlling your thoughts. But just as the heart is meant to beat, the mind is supposed to think. Whether you focus on the breath, use a mantra, or do a body scan, the purpose of mindfulness meditation is simply to become aware of what's going on without reacting to it. To avoid getting caught up in the 'stories' of the mind and instead let your awareness rest in reality - the present moment.

3. Be consistent

Try and make time to meditate every day, or if every day feels too much at first, you can make a pact with yourself not to go more than three days without meditating. Many people meditate first thing in the morning, right after waking up - but it might fit in better for you at another time of day. Whenever you do it, try to be consistent with the time and place you meditate, so you give yourself the best chance of building a regular habit.

4. Start small

Another common reason people cite for not meditating is that they don’t have enough time. The scientific consensus is that just five minutes of meditation will give you access to many of the benefits of meditation - and if we’re honest with ourselves, most of us do have five minutes to spare a day. Esther Ekhart has created a special playlist of 5-minute meditation classes - check them out here.

5. Be kind to yourself

Okay - your mind will wander; you will get lost in thought; strong or uncomfortable emotions might come up…But treat yourself with compassion. Every day will be different; that’s why it’s called a ‘practice’. Be proud of yourself for making a commitment. It isn’t always easy, it won’t make you impervious to stress, or give you the ‘perfect’ life, but we promise you, it is worth it.

So, grab your cushion, or stay right where you are in your chair, and let's get started.

5 minutes count

Join Esther Ekhart for just 5 minutes of guided meditation every day and find out for yourself the difference it makes. Follow her playlist here.